Article of repose for supporting the body of a person



y 1956 J. LUCKHARDT 2,745,470

ARTICLE OF REPOSE FOR SUPPORTING THE BODY OF A PERSON Filed July 8, 1953 m so 22 24 Z2 /5o \0 e0 74 M 0 6a INVENTOR JOHHNNES LUCKHHRDT 7 ATTORNEY United States Patent ARTICLE OF REPOSE FOR SUPPORTING THE BODY OF A PERSON Johannes Luclrhardt, Berlin-Dahlem, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Norman'P. Martin and Otto L. Walter, as trustees of Gamma Trust, Lake Worth, Fla.

Application July 8, 1953, Serial No. 366,747

Claims priority, application Germany December 8, 1952 6 Claims. (Cl. 155-106) The present invention relates to articles of furniture, and more particularly to articles of repose for supporting the body of a person.

An object of the invention is to provide a reclining chair or the like with a link system including a movable back-rest, a movable seat and a movable leg-rest which may be readily and conveniently brought into difierent positions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reclining chair or the like which may be readily manufactured at low cost.

Another object of the invention is to improve on the construction of articles of repose for supporting the body of a person as now customarily made.

Other objects and structural details of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a reclining armchair according to the invention, a portion of a side wall of said chair being broken away, and

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of a reclining chair according to the invention, a portion of the frame being broken away.

Referring now to Fig. 1, 10 generally indicates the support of an armchair comprising side walls 12 and 14 connected with each other by cross bars 16 and 18. The arm-rests of the chair are included in said side walls.

A back-rest 2i) hinged to the support 10 at 22 has a downward extension 24 rigid with the main body of the back-rest. The rear end portion of a seat 26 is hinged to the support 10 at 28.

A leg-rest 30 is swingably mounted at 32 on brackets 34 (only one being shown) rigidly connected with and projecting from the front end portion of the seat 26.

A controlling member, generally indicated by 36, is swingably mounted on the cross bar 18 of the support 10 at 38. According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, said controlling member 36 is in the shape of a curved double-armed lever. One arm 40 of said double-armed controlling member 36 is pivoted at 42 to one end of a connecting link 44, the other end of said connecting link being pivoted at 46 to a lug 48 on the seat 26.

The other arm 58 of said double-armed controlling lever 36 is pivoted at 52 to one end of a controlling link 54, the other end of which is pivoted at 56 to a lug 58 arranged on the leg-rest 30.

Said second mentioned arm 56 of the double-armed controlling lever 36 is also pivoted at 60 to one end of a tertiary link 62 the other end of which is pivoted at 64 to the lower end of a lever arm or link 66 swingably mounted on the support 10 at 68. Said lever arm or link 66 is called secondary link in some of the claims.

One end of a primary link 70 is pivoted to said arm or link 66 at 72 at a point intermediate the ends thereof. The other end of said primary link 70 is pivoted to the extension 24 of the back-rest at 74.

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The pivotal connection 38 of the controlling member 36 with the support 10 is arranged in a plane below the plane of the connection 52 between said controlling member 36 and the controlling link 54 and below the plane of the pivotal connection 60 between said controlling member 36 and the tertiary link 62 of the link mechanism 62, 66, 70. The three pivotal connections 42,52 and 60 of the controlling member 36 are spaced from each other.

A person resting on said chair may readily bring the movable members of the chair from the sitting position shown in full lines into a reclined position shown in dash and dot lines by leaning the weight of his body against the back-rest 20. The arrangement of the pivotal connection 60 somewhat in front of the vertical plane passing through the pivotal connection 38 of the controlling member 36 contributes to an easy displacement of the movable members of the chair from the sitting position into the reclined position. The linkage 62,66, 70 interposed between the back-rest 20 and the controlling member 36 permits an easy adjustment of the movements of the back-rest 29, the seat 26 and the leg-rest 30 relative to each other during a displacement of the movable members of the chair from one position into another one.

The movable members of the chair may be held in any desired position by means of locking means (not shown).

Furthermore the extreme sitting and reclined positions of the movable members of the chair are limited by stops 76 and 78 respectively.

According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the back-rest 126 and the seat 126 of the chair are swingably mounted on the support 110 at 123. The controlling member 136swingably mounted on the support 110 at 138 is in the shape of a cross formed by a link 137 rigidly connected with a cross bar 180 projecting from both sides of said link 137. The upper end of the link 137 is pivoted at 152 to the controlling link 154 hinged to the leg-rest 13G swingably mounted on the seat 126 at 132. The arm 182 of the cross bar 189 is pivoted at 142 to the lower end of the connecting link 144, the upper end of which is pivoted to the seat 126 at 146. The arm 182 of the cross bar 180 of the controlling member 136 is pivoted to one end of the tertiary link 162 at 161). The other end of said tertiary link 162 is pivoted at 164 to the lower arm of a double-armed lever or secondary link 167 swingably mounted on the support 116 at 169. The upper arm of said double-armed lever 167 is pivoted at 184 to one end of an arm-rest or primary link 186, the other end of which is pivoted to the back-rest at 188.

When the movable members of the chair are in the normal sitting position shown in full lines, the pivotal connection 166 between the controlling member 136 and the tertiary link 162 of the link mechanism 162, 167, 186 is substantially in the vertical plane passing through the pivotal connection 138 between the controlling member 136 and the support 110. The pivotal connection 142 between the controlling member 136 and the connecting link 144 as well as the pivotal connection 152 between said controlling member 136 and the controlling link 154 are located towards the rear in relation to the vertical plane passing through the pivot 138 of the controlling member 136. Y

When the back-rest 129 is swung backwards into the reclined position shown in dash and dot lines the seat 126 and the leg-rest 139 are brought into the reclined position shown in dash and dot lines through the medium of the linkages described above. The extreme sitting position and reclined position are limited by stops 176 and 178 respectively.

' Theniovable members of desired-position by locking means -('not shown) Ithavedescribed preferred embodiments of my invention, but it is understood that this disclosure is for the purpose oftillustration, and that .various, omissions and changes in shape, proportion and arrangement of parts,

as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those herein shown and described may'be' made without departing "from'the spirit and scope of the invention 'as set "forth inithe appendedclaims; t v

For example the linkage interposed between the backrest structure 20 or 120 respectively and the controlling member'36-or l36 respectively may be .replaced by ano'tlierfsuitable link system.

What I-tclaim'is: 1. An article of repose for supporting the body of a person, comprising: a support, a back-rest structure pivotally mounted on said support, a seat, the rear portion of ,said seat'being swingably mounted on said support, .a controlling member pivotally connected with said support, alinkage including a primary link, a secondary link'andattertiaryjlink, said secondary'link being swingably m'ountedon said support andbeing pivoted to one 7 end of said primary link'and to one end of saidtertiary linkgthe other end of said primary link being pivoted to said back-reststructure, the other end of saidtertiary link-beingjpivoted to said controlling member so as to 7 effect movement of the latter in coordination with said back-rest structure, the pivotal connection of said controlling member with said 'support'being in a plane below the plane of the pivotal connection of said controlling member with said tertiary link of said linkage, a connecting'link, one end of said connecting link being pivoted to said controlling member, the other end of said connecting link being pivoted to said seat, a leg-rest swingably mounted on'the front portion of said seat, and a controlling'linklpivoted at oneof its ends'to said leg-rest'and at its'othertend to saidcontrolling member. 7 I

2..An .article of reposefor supporting the bodytof a' person, comprising: a support, a back-rest structure pivot:

ally mounted on said support, a seat,' the rear portion of "link being pivoted toisaid controlling member so as to efiectfmovement of'thelatter coordination Withsaid backrrest structure, the pivotal connection of ,said conthe chair may be held in any trolling member with saidsupport being in a plane belo the-plane of "the pivotal connection of said controlling member with said tertiary link of said linkage, and a connecting link, oneend of said connecting link being pivoted to said controlling member, and'the other-end I troll n memb rof said connecting link being pivoted to said'seat,

3. in an article ofrepose as claimed in claim 1, said secondary link being in" the'shape of 'a double-armed lever, said primary link being pivoted at different regions armed lever and to said ;controlli ng member.

4. In an article of repose as claimed in claim 1, said I V hack-rest structure including a downward extension pro" jecting downwardly beyond the pivotal connection bet tween said back rest structure and said support, said secondary link-beingin the' 'shape of;a one-arm lever,

said primary link being pivoted at different regions thereof to said extension of the back-restand to said one arm lever, and said tertiary link being pivoted at different regionsthereof to said one arm lever and to said con- 5; in an article of secondary link being in the shape of a double-armed levensaid primary linkbeing pivoted at difierent regions thereof to said back-rest'structure and to one arm 'of' said double-armed lever, and said tertiary linkfbeing pivoted at difierent regions thereof to the other arm of v t saiddonble-armed lever and to said controlling'member.

6. In an article ot repose as claimed in claim 2, said back-rest structure includinga downward extension projecting downwardly beyond I the -.pivotal'connection between said thank-rest structure and said support, said' secondary link being in the shape of a one arm'lever said primarylinkbeing pivoted at'ditferent regions there:

of to. said extension of the'back-re'st and to said. one arm lever, and said tertiary .link being pivoted at difierent regionsthereot to saidjone arm lever and to said controlling member.

References Cited in the file of this patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS repose'as claimed in clairn2, said 

